Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake Recipe (VIDEO)
This Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake Recipe is a delicious coffee cake loaded with Cranberries, White Chocolate, and a Cream Cheese Frosting. This soft coffee cake with cranberries is a twist on the Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar and is super popular with our family.
Want another great idea for breakfast? Try these Blueberry Scones that you can make with either fresh or frozen blueberries.
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If you love the Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar, this Cranberry Coffee Cake is for you! It’s one of those treats you make once, and then you’ll be asked to make it forever because it’s just that good! Check out my first-ever video (of this recipe) at the bottom of the post!
What’s a Coffee Cake?
If you read the ingredients and realize that this Coffee Cake has no coffee, don’t be surprised! I know it’s confusing, but the name “Coffee Cake” comes not from the name of the flavor but from the fact that this cake is typically enjoyed with coffee. Similar to teacakes, which have no tea in the ingredient list but are enjoyed with tea.
Is this THE Perfect Coffee Cake Recipe?
The cranberries in this cake keep the cake tasting fresh for several days. You can make it the night before and serve it for breakfast with coffee (perfect Christmas morning breakfast, oh yeah!). This sounds like a great dessert to make when you have guests.
This recipe is simple and filled with so much flavor! The cranberries with the cream cheese frosting have a really good thing going together, a sour yet sweet taste that will leave your taste buds wanting more! So, of course, this is THE perfect dessert!
What is your favorite Coffee Cake?
There is nothing better to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with than some dessert and this one is some dessert.
Other great desserts to try!
- Blueberry & Raspberry Coffee Cake– Berries+cake=amazing!!
- Pillow Soft Plum Coffee Cake– What is better than a cake out of sweet soft plums?
- Apple Coffee Cake w/ Streusel Topping– Fresh apples in a sweet dessert you will love!!
Do let me know what you think of the video, though. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake RECIPE
This Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake Recipe a delicious coffee cake loaded with cranberries, white chocolate, and a cream cheese frosting. A delicious, soft coffee cake with cranberries.
Ingredients
Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ - 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup buttermilk or sour cream
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, then well drained and towel dried
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp orange extract or zest of ½ orange
Topping:
- 2 Tbsp white chocolate chips melted
- ⅔ cups dried cranberries soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, then well drained and towel dried
Instructions
How to make Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake:
-
Preheat oven to 350F with the rack in the middle. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan (or a 10 inch round) with nonstick spray OR butter and flour it to prevent the cake from sticking.
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To a large bowl add 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp vanilla and whisk until combined. Add 1 cup flour, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground ginger and whisk just until incorporated. Next add ½ cup melted butter and ½ cup buttermilk, whisking after each. Fold in 3/4 cup cranberries and 3/4 cup white chocolate chips.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
How to make Cream Cheese Frosting:
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In a bowl whisk together 8 oz of room temperature cream cheese, ½ cup of powdered sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and ½ tsp of orange emulsion or zest of ½ lemon until smooth.
Melt the White Chocolate:
-
Melt 2 tbsp of white chocolate in a microwave for about 30 seconds in 7-second intervals, stirring in between until no lumps until smooth and melted. Transfer to a ziplock bag and snip off the corner.
Assemble Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake
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Spread the Cream Cheese Frosting with a spatula all over the cooled cake. Sprinkle the ⅔ cup of dried cranberries on top. In a zigzag motion drizzle the melted white chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, then cut and serve.
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Has anyone tried fresh cranberries?
Loved this coffee cake recipe! I did it in a spring form pan so it could have a pretty presentation on a cake stand for my DIL’s new years birthday brunch. It was a big hit
All the cranberries stuck to the bottom and cake would not come out of the pan. Seems like too much butter as was greasy.
Sounds like some of the ingredients were missed or were measured wrong. Could that be the case?
I do not see a video for this recipe. Thanks
Wow! I first saw your recipe a couple of weeks ago when i searched for a recipe using fresh cranberries. It looked so appealing to me, i ordered some dried ones just to make this! I have to say it was probably one of the best coffeecakes I’ve ever made/eaten…and I’m a baker! Usually i don’t much care for white chocolate… But the mix of white chocolate and cranberries in the cake paired with the cream cheese layer on the top was incredible! I was rushing a bit and forgot to soak the cranberries! I didn’t use the white chocolate drizzle or add the additional cranberries on the top. I shared some with my kids and hubby, but I ate most of it and I’m not sorry! lol i’m already planning to make it again for our weekend get together at my moms. Thank you so much. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a scrumptious coffee cake with their coffee/tea
Cranberry all sunk to the bottom
I just found this on Pinterest, can’t wait to try it. Sounds delish.
Hope you love it, Danijela!
The cake was a great texture and my family loved it, however I found it insanely sweet. I didn’t even add any of the extra toppings and it was still too sweet. Next time I’ll try adjusting to at least half the amount of sugar.
Can I use fresh cranberries?
I haven’t tested this recipe with fresh cranberries, so I can not tell you for sure. But if I had to guess I would say, yes. Although, not sure how much would be the perfect amount for this recipe.
OH MY are these delicious. I made these for my friend and gave my family a slice I told them they can’t have no more it’s not for them! So I made a couple of alternatives, I didn’t have one cup brown sugar so used half cup. The cheese I used started turning all grainy for some reason so instead of using cream cheese I used soft cheese. To this I added two sprinkles of sugar , X3 spoons of both range and vanilla essence to get what I imagined the right flavour as well as half lemon. The cake is absolutely delicious it has the right tones of sweet and sourness , I’m already contemplating when to make the next one 😉
Thank you for sharing all of those substupiotions and that it worked. I’m sure it’s going to be very useful for someone who wants to try something similar.
Happy Holidays!
My cake is very short…..your photo makes the cake look at least 3 inches high. I feel that the 8×8 pan would make a nicer looking cake.
Thanks
Mary
The cake is supposed to be about 2-2.5 inches tall. If yours is not that height, something must’ve gone wrong 🙁
I baked the cake for 40 mins and although the cake tasted good, it was a little too dry and crumbly. Not sure if I should’ve used more sour cream than mentioned or just baked it for 30 mins.
Excellent recipe. This is the first time I tried white chocolate chips in a cake n mine weren’t of the best quality too. They did melt a little bit, but the taste was divine. Just did one change, used half a cup of sugar only n added some coffee liquid. Must say it came out really well. Will definitely try it for an upcoming GT
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
FYI, The amount of vanilla, cranberries and white chocolate chips listed in the recipe directions DO NOT match the amounts listed in the list of ingredients….
Easy to make! Tasted really good. Used sour cream instead of buttermilk and it worked out perfectly. Will definitely make again!!
Thank you for your feedback and the star rating! So glad you liked it!
Made these this mornting.
Yummy!!!!
I had no cream cheese so I improvised.
I hope no one else in the house wants any. They are mine mine mine!!!!
Awesome! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Have you or anyone reading this tried the recipe with fresh cranberries. It looks like a wonderful cake.
Hi MRina, If I use fresh frozen cranberries, do I need to soak them or just thaw them? I will do the cake for Christmas for our family gathering
Cheers
Hi Marina! I was making one of your recipes the other day , it was beef with caramelized onions and mushrooms which is absolutely delicious and I make it couple times a month! Anyways, on your short videos I saw this cranberry bliss coffee cake and it looked so simple and delicious that I had to give it a try:) so I made it today and it was gone in like two minutes!!! And everyone LOVED it! They wanted seconds, but it was already goneI think I’m gonna make another batch tomorrow, cuz I didn’t get enough… it was soooo good!!! It looks very festive and just melts in your mouth! This is definitely going to be one of my Christmas recipes:)
Thanks for your wonderful recipes! Will be back to get more:-)
How awesome! Thank you so, so much for taking the time to share your feedback! If you liked the coffee cake, do try the Cranberry Bliss Bars too 😀
Can’t wait to try it. One question… recipe calls for dried cranberries… are they the sweetened ones sold in produce section of supermarket or are they unsweetened?
Hi Susan,
I use sweetened dried cranberries.
Should I double the cake recipe and 1 1/2 the frosting for a 9×13 pan?
I would only increase it by half. Or you could just keep the portion the same and and slices will be thinner.
Delish!!!!
My 11 year old daughter made the cake today and it turned out fabulous. The recipe, instructions and video was very simple to follow. I didn’t have to help her with any of it. She even decorated it herself and it turned our beautiful and was delicious! We served it with coffee and tea for our guests and everyone raved and had seconds. This recipe will now be added to our frequently used recipes. Thank you!
Hi Natalie, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
If I don’t have white chocolate, can I use sweetened condensed milk? Or just don’t add anything?
Thank you
Just don’t add anything.
The condensed milk wouldn’t work as a replacement.
It looks like you only used half a brick of cream cheese. Should we use a half our a whole for a 9 inch square baking pan.
Also, can this recipe be doubled for a 9 x 13 size baking dish?
Thanks!
Hi Marg,
I actually used the whole 8 oz, not half. I added half and forgot to turn the camera on when I added the other half. But when you’re seeing the final whipped cream cheese, that has the whole 8 oz.
Also, for a 9×13 I would only increase the proportions by half, not one more full recipe.
what a nice coffee cake it is. Thanks for sharing it with us. really great
Thank you Ravi!
Hi,
Can I make it the day ahead and place it in the fridge or is best eaten fresh?
Hi Ruslana,
This cake is good next day just as it is the first day. So yes, you can make it a day ahead. Just make sure that you follow the recipe and presoak your dried cranberries.
Thanks
Hi Marina. Looks yummy. As it was said before, vedio made your recipe easy and more encouraging. Great job. Thank you for doing it for us all. I know now what I am going to make for Xmas.
Thank you so much Lyudmilla!
HI marina
I’m making this right now and you missed the butter in the ingredients list.
Hi Olesya,
Oh boy, sorry about that! I just corrected it. At least I had it in the instructions lol.
I love that recipe. Can’t wait to make it. I love that you did a video. It’s so helpful and easy to follow the recipe that way. Thank you for all your wonderful recipe. Every recipe I tried was always a huge success!!!!!
Oh, thank you so much Natasha! Love hearing that!
Marina good job!
Thank you Alla!
Hi Marina. I really liked the video. The music reminded me of Japan. I liked the moment when you cut the cake – it looked very fluffy.
My kids also love to watch video recipes with me. They inspire them to bake!
Thank you Oksana!
Hi. I finally baked the cake. It turned out too sweet for me. And chocolate chips didnt melt inside (which is not the recipe’s drawback). I guess chips were not of the best quality. But I like the density and the taste of the cake – crumbly and buttery.
Hi Oksana,
Typically the white chocolates don’t melt but just kind of add the flavor into the cake, so it probably is not the quality but just usual white chocolate behavior not to melt.
In the future, if you make it again, you can reduce the amount of white chocolate in the cake part itself to reduce the sweetness.
Love, love, love your video!! You are a pro! My 10 year old was watching with me and she says “wow.” I asked her why she said that and she says, “she makes it look so easy!” I will definetly make this as soon as possible! Thank you for the video and please keep them coming. Videos make recipes come to life:))
Hi Marina,
Thank you so, so much! Tell your daughter that sometimes it does take a video, or a good visual to realize that baking really is easy!
Can’t wait to try this:)
It’s really good! Let me know how you like it once you make it, I would love to see it!